A tower crane which has presided over the Gusto Slikkerveer shipyard since 1951, was dismantled by HAPO International Barges’ PLM15000E Electric-Hydraulic Ringer Crane.

The historic tower crane was originally built for the Gusto Shipyard in Schiedam, then moved to their facility located at Ringdijk 486, in Slikkerveer, Ridderkerk. In 1990, the current owner and sister company of HAPO Barges, Schiepo, took over the shipyard. The tower crane continued to be used, by clients including the company NAMI, which specialised in building structures for the offshore oil and gas industry.

In 2019, HAPO and Schiepo decided to retire the tower crane for several reasons. Due to the crane’s advanced age, there were safety concerns, and the cost of maintenance for the crane was judged to be excessive. Secondly, only a handful of tenants still used the crane, following NAMI’s filing for bankruptcy in 2017. Lastly, HAPO introduced the Grove RT890E Rough Terrain crane to facilitate the tenants’ need for heavy-lift in 2015.

After careful consideration, it was decided in mid-2022 that the Tower Crane should be recycled. For this project, HAPO opted to use their PLM15000E Electric-Hydraulic Ringer Crane. This decision was taken on the basis that the PLM crane was tall enough, and had more than enough capacity, to lift a whole section of the tower crane. The historical landmark of the Ridderkerk Shipyard was thus removed without a hitch, last week. The recycled metal will be sold.

The PLM15000E Electric-Hydraulic Ringer Crane

This ringer crane, much like the tower crane removal, has also been a long-term project. Eager.one was contracted for the design of a ringer crane, which would have the capacities of an M4600 crane, but on water. Temporary Works Design designed a ringer foundation based on a recycled skid frame. It can be elevated by hydraulic jacks to drive SPMT units underneath. It can thus be quickly mobilised to and from any barge with the right size. The PLM15000E can now be operated from the HAPO barge H-332, having been operational since October 2021.

The diesel engine was also replaced with an electric motor, which can be hooked directly onto any 690V or 400V power supply. The crane can be built up with 4 different boom lengths: 55, 67, 79 and 91 metres. Each with its own characteristics. The maximum lifting capacity is 660 tons within the range of up to 22 metres of outreach. With the 91 metres boom installed the crane is still capable of lifting 100 tons at 77 metres. This unique crane will be heading to the United Kingdom for its next assignment.